Cinevate is equipping one lucky filmmaker with a Sony a7S Filmmaker Bundle, which consists of some very powerful filmmaking tools Those tools include a Sony a7S camera, a Duzi Slider, and a MUSE Toolkit from Stillmotion.

In addition to giving away those amazing prizes, Cinevate will also be making a donation in the name of the winner to One Girl. One Girl is a non-profit organisation that gives women and girls access to education, in places where they normally wouldn’t. Learn more about the One Girl mission at OneGirl.org.

To enter for a chance to win the Sony a7S Filmmaker Bundle, and have a donation be made in your name to One Girl, just head over to cinevate.com/sonya7s.

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/were-giving-away-a-sony-a7s-filmmaker-bundle/feed/0How These Filmmakers Built a DIY Cable Cam in the Middle of the Rainforesthttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/diy-cable-cam-rainforest/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/diy-cable-cam-rainforest/#commentsTue, 07 Jul 2015 14:24:22 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=8213Continue reading →]]>It’s always inspiring for us to learn how our customers solve problems.

When filmmaker Mat Howes had an idea for a cable cam shot over a waterfall, he didn’t let the fact that he was in the middle of the Borneo jungle, or that he didn’t have a cable cam, stop him. Matt used a lot of fishing line, a bamboo fish trap, and the Morpheus Dolly to create a very cool cable cam shot. The footage that was captured has not yet been edited, and will eventually be added to a larger promotional feature for release in late 2016.

The following excerpt was provided by one of the fillmakers that set up the shot along side Mat…

A small family company, UKhammocks is the only manufacturer of specialist jungle equipment in the world, as far as I’m aware, and sends a team out every year to test new designs in the jungles of Borneo.

We wanted to capture some footage of UKhammocks equipment in development, and also some footage for hillpeoplegear.com, a small company based in the USA who manufacture expedition packs, and have a close working relationship with us.

The jungle eats electronic equipment, especially cameras. The only camera we can rely on to survive is the GoPro in its waterproof housing, filled with silica crystals to prevent misting. We wanted stabilized shots, but couldn’t use anything which relied on electronics. It also needed to be robust, lightweight and packable. We found the Morpheus on Kickstarter and it ticked all the boxes, so we backed it.

When we struck upon the idea for a dramatic cable cam shot over a waterfall, we realized the potential of the Morpheus to function as a cable cam, and set off on a spare day to try and get the shot. We had never used the Morpheus before, and simply set off stopping to buy 300-400m of fishing line in a remote farm shop, before driving into the jungle. We then made up a bamboo fish trap to act as a catching device on location.

Here’s an early test (note the shadow of the camera)…

And here’s the final clip…

And here’s the behind the scenes…

If you have a story about how you solved a problem on set, we’d love to hear it. Please email us at showcase@cinevate.com

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/a-beautiful-10-day-timelapse/feed/0How to Shoot Motion Timelapse Without Batterieshttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/modo-duzi/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/modo-duzi/#commentsTue, 19 May 2015 14:22:39 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=8160Continue reading →]]>Customers fuel innovation here at Cinevate, and our latest product is testament to that fact. We received feedback from many filmmakers, who asked for a simple and affordable motion timelapse solution.

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/modo-duzi/feed/0How You Helped Make The New Duzi Sliderhttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/how-you-helped-make-the-duzi-slider-even-better/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/how-you-helped-make-the-duzi-slider-even-better/#commentsWed, 06 May 2015 14:43:06 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=8150Continue reading →]]>The wildly popular Duzi Slider has been upgraded! We received invaluable feedback from the filmmaking community, suggesting a variety of ways to make their favorite camera slider even better. In this clip Cinevate CEO, Dennis Wood, walks us through the upgrades

It’s still the lightest, most compact and affordable Cinevate slider ever. It’s a Duzi!

Strong and reliable. That’s what Duzi is. Duzi is your best friend. Maybe just on set…maybe not. But that’s not our business. Our business is listening to our customers. Our business is working with filmmakers to empower them with the tools they demand to tell the best story ever.

It’s still affordable, it’s still compact and ridiculously strong. It’s still a Duzi.

Hedron Slider Save $200!

Hedron delivers the smoothest slider shots, under extreme payloads, vertically or horizontally, manually or electronically, each and every time. Learn More >

Watch filmmaker Tim Fok give the Hedron a beat down…

Axis Jib Save $600!

The Axis Jib is the ideal tool for industry professionals looking for a smooth jib they can rapidly deploy to operate in minutes, and is a workhorse – supporting up to 50 lbs. Learn More >

Watch filmmaker Bob Gundu’s review of the Axis Jib…

Slider/Tripod Travel Case Save $160!

The Camera Slider Grip Case was designed in conjunction with Tenba for easily and safely transporting a slider with a head attached, plus additional gear like a tripod and other large equipment. Learn More >

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/3-killer-deals/feed/05 Ways to Mount the Duzi Sliderhttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/5-ways-mount-duzi-slider/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/5-ways-mount-duzi-slider/#commentsMon, 16 Mar 2015 18:46:51 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=8070Here are 5 ways to mount the Duzi Slider. Some are easy as pie, while a couple of them may take a bit more experience

The Duzi Slider is the perfect travel companion for any filmmaker that wants to bring along a slider, but still travel light. Watch the video below to find out how

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/3-simple-ways-to-travel-with-a-duzi-slider/feed/0The Slider That Gives You A Smoother Slidehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/the-slider-that-gives-you-a-smoother-slide/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/the-slider-that-gives-you-a-smoother-slide/#commentsWed, 04 Mar 2015 15:43:23 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=8048Continue reading →]]>Filmmakers are faced with an overwhelming number of options when it comes to sliders these days. With almost too many to choose from, it can make it hard to find the one that suits your style, budget, and workflow best.

The Hedron Slider is the solution for a filmmaker looking for an indestructible slider that can handle a 100 lb rig, and still produce the silkiest of slides, which are consistent each and every time.

Now I’m obviously biased, so don’t take my word for it. Take Tim’s

Tim Fok of Cinema5D recently published this very comprehensive and fair review of the Cinevate Hedron Slider.

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/the-slider-that-gives-you-a-smoother-slide/feed/06 Ways to Mount the Hedron Slider & Bloopershttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/hedron-mounting-options/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/hedron-mounting-options/#commentsTue, 24 Feb 2015 15:19:04 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=8032Continue reading →]]>This is a brief video covering the many mounting options that are possible with the Hedron Slider

Although the finished clip is only a minute long, this blooper reel shows why it took us a lot longer to shoot it :p

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/hedron-mounting-options/feed/0Canon EOS C100 MKII Impressionshttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/canon-eos-c100-mkii-impressions/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/canon-eos-c100-mkii-impressions/#commentsWed, 11 Feb 2015 16:49:41 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=8017Continue reading →]]>Canon was kind enough to send us the new C100 MKII to test drive, so we took the opportunity to hook up with filmmaker Matt Popowich of Westfort Productions, and shoot this piece that showcases some of the new features and footage.

Here is the finished piece that Westfort Productions produced for Grace Place, which combines both C100 and C100 MKII footage. Can you see the difference?

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/canon-eos-c100-mkii-impressions/feed/0Epic Mayan Hyperlapsehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/epic-mayan-hyperlapse/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/epic-mayan-hyperlapse/#commentsTue, 10 Feb 2015 17:05:42 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=8009Continue reading →]]>Costal Productions recently traveled to Guatemala, and had an opportunity to shoot at several ancient Mayan sites. Shooting on just the Sony A7s, the Duzi Slider, and a tripod, they were able to capture some epic footage, including some very surreal hyperlapse shots.

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/epic-mayan-hyperlapse/feed/0What is a Focus Lever, and Do You Need One?http://www.cinevate.com/blog/what-is-a-focus-lever-and-do-you-need-one/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/what-is-a-focus-lever-and-do-you-need-one/#commentsTue, 10 Feb 2015 16:37:37 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=7998Continue reading →]]>Our filmmaking friend Todd Wolfe, in conjuction with FroKnowsPhoto.com, recently published a very educational and comprehensive review of the Cinevate Focus Lever. In the review Todd explains exactly what it is, and how it can be an extremely useful piece of kit for a photographer or filmmaker.

We recently shot a few very short clips demonstrating how to get some interesting dolly and slider type shots using your GoPro. You could also get these same shots using a wide variety of smartphones and small cameras on Morpheus.

The GoPro HERO4 (Black Edition) was added to our GoPro library this week. It weighs in a bit heavier than the 3+, which is good news in terms of the Morpheus Stabilizer. I did a quick walk around the shop in 4K, which has been down converted to 1080P for the web. Our man Storm also took stills of the rig “out of the box” as well as with LCD back attached. Shooting with the LCD back and skeleton back is my preferred mode of shooting, as it allows framing/composition while you’re flying. The extra weight of this setup is also just about perfect.

The Protune advanced controls on the GoPro 4 to manage white balance, color, ISO limit, sharpness and exposure compensation, are taking the “crash cam” into more advanced camera territory. This in turn really increases your ability to produce high quality stabilized footage from Morpheus with this platform. I also like the change to the WIFI button operation on the side of the camera, which gets you into advanced setup for each camera mode, without navigating through the main setup screen.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be working with the HERO4 on our new Morpheus Slider, and the prototype time lapse gear to show you what it’s capable of. Be sure to check out our cinevate.com/flymorpheus page, as Dan has added suggested configurations for the GoPro HERO4 to the weight matrix. You’ll find two HERO4 configurations – the camera out of the box, and with the LCD back attached. If you haven’t already, please also view the new GoPro configuration/handling video embedded below:

The Cinevate sliders have always been exceptional. I remember working in the field with a colleague that brought a large Atlas Cinevate ball-bearing slider to the shoot. It was bulky but solid and really good for the large RED Camera rig we were working with. Great for the outdoors and for a truly remote location…we used it in the mountains of Bolivia for Nat Geo. I fell in love.

Going forward, I paid close attention to the new slider models Cinevate was developing. After a disappointing 2014 NAB (in terms of sliders) I had sort of given up on purchasing a quality new slider and started to imagine myself with a wimpy run-of-the-mill lightweight slider. Then in early Summer 2014, I got word about the new Hedron Slider that Cinevate had developed. I immediately called and got my hands on a new 4 foot Hedron slider with the cool new “fly-wheel” add on. Upon assembly, I could tell things were different. I had been traveling with a team documenting the solo canoe trip of author/adventurer, Eddy Harris, down the great Mississippi River. There was a need to create lots of kinetic, yet cinematic material to match the “road film” feel of the river project.

The Hedron came with a fly-wheel billed as a camera movement tool that included “inertial dampening”. That sounds super cool and “geeky scientific”. What it translates to is that you can get the camera moving through space with not only stability, but with smooth “heads and tails”. Up until this time, most of my starts and stops have always been left on the cutting room floor. No more. With just a slight push and start-up of the slider with a single finger or nudge, the motion is smooth enough to use. Normally the start of a move is abrupt and awkward. The “fly wheel” answers that. Bottom line…this slider works…it works really well and it makes many of the other slider manufacturers products seem obsolete.

Hedron is a premium slider that delivers smooth slider shots, under extreme payloads, vertically or horizontally, manually or electronically, each and every time. But don’t take our word for it. The following are links to what other people are saying about Hedron…

The latest commercial from our friends at Westfort Productions, is an exceptional one. The clip absolutely nails several key elements of telling a story. The professional voice talent lends so well to the overall style. The types of shots, whether they were drone, slider, pov, or handheld, were balanced perfectly throughout the clip. Don’t take my word for it though. Watch the video and decide for yourself…

Both Bryan and Matt Popowich of Westfort Productions grew up playing in the local minor football league, so when asked about shooting this commercial, Matt had this to say…

Playing in the Thunder Bay Minor Football Association was such a huge part of our childhood, so to be able to create something for the league, that we are so close to personally, was very rewarding.

Westfort Productions continues to raise the storytelling bar, and we’re honoured to be able to work with them. We will continue to share their work, which we hope you find as inspiring as we do.

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/a-story-close-to-their-hearts/feed/0Hedron Slider is Gear of the Week on RAWtalkhttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/hedron-slider-is-gear-of-the-week-on-rawtalk/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/hedron-slider-is-gear-of-the-week-on-rawtalk/#commentsThu, 20 Nov 2014 16:42:13 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=7886The Hedron Slider is the Gear of the Week in the latest episode of RAWtalk! Be sure to check out the full story with more news and photos at FroKnowsPhoto.com.

Our friends at Canon recently sent us the new VIXIA mini X. With built-in Wi-Fi and live streaming functionality, it makes it an interesting consideration for those shooting video for social media. It also works great when flying on the Morpheus Stabilizer. You can check out the results in the following video…

Features:

Record up to 1920 x 1080p Full HD Video

High-Sensitivity 12.8MP CMOS Sensor

Canon HS SYSTEM & DIGIC DV 4 Processor

SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card Slot

Built-In Wi-Fi & Live Streaming Function

Equipped with Canon’s f/2.8 Fisheye Lens

Supports AVCHD & MP4 Recording Formats

Capacitive 2.7″ Tilting Touch Panel LCD

Supports Wide & Close-Up Shooting Modes

Microphone Input & Headphone Output

I’ve gone ahead and added the weight configuration for the VIXIA to the Morpheus Stabilizer Weight Guide. You can see the configuration below…

As always, we encourage everyone to share any footage that they’ve shot with Morpheus, or any additional configurations for devices or cameras that we don’t have yet in our Weight Guide.

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/canon-vixia-mini-x-review/feed/0The Stories That Are Hardest to Hear…http://www.cinevate.com/blog/the-stories-that-are-hardest-to-hear/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/the-stories-that-are-hardest-to-hear/#commentsFri, 24 Oct 2014 14:57:57 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=7815Continue reading →]]>The stories that are hardest to hear, are often the hardest to tell, but have the greatest need to be told.

A man by the name of Gary Dowd is telling these stories. Here is one of them…

Northern Iraq

by Gary Dowd

I think it’s fair to say that everyone has heard about the crisis situation in the Middle East. So you can imagine why I was a little nervous about accepting a request to report on the humanitarian efforts going on in Kurdistan. World Compassion and Samaritan’s Purse, two organizations I admire, have been racing against the clock to reach as many displaced families as possible with emergency shelter and food, as well as blankets, heaters and other much needed items before the bitter cold winter sets in. I would be spending several days with each organization, capturing stories of families forced from their homes and living in desperate circumstances. For me, the deciding factor was the incredible need. With plenty of press focused on the ugliness of the war, few were bringing back compelling stories that would motivate compassion for the refugees. How could I not take the opportunity to help communicate the need to folks back home?

With an unknown security situation on the ground and working by myself “run-and-gun” style, I wanted to pare down my gear to a basic kit and pack as lean and light as possible – yet still have enough equipment to do the job right.

I needed a stable rig that would allow me to shoot ENG style and also serve as a platform on the tripod for long interviews. The Cinevate DSLR rig was a great option that gave me both, as you can see from the photos.

​

My greatest challenges on this trip weren’t so much the physical ones but the psychological ones. I have some solid connections with folks on the ground who know the security situation and so I was very conscious of the dangers that existed – even in the “safe” capital city of Erbil. But I can honestly say that once I was in production mode, my focus was solely on the task at hand.

My shoot turned into long hard days in refugee camps shooting context and interviews with families, humanitarian staffers and officials – even one with the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Karim Sinjari. I met brave people facing unimaginable hardship, who have lost loved ones, and who are facing the prospect of a brutal winter without adequate shelter. Despite their circumstances, I was also greeted with a hospitality that was humbling. These are a beautiful people and I hope the stories I’ve brought back will help motivate a generous response of support for those organizations that are bringing aid to Kurdistan.

I can’t wait to go back. If you want to learn more or donate to the relief efforts. Please visit:

UPDATE:

I was asked by World Compassion to return to Kurdistan 10 days later to document a team of doctors who would be providing medical care in several of the refugee camps. As predicted, conditions are worsening. With the recent influx of people from Kobani, organizations working to help the refugees are way over capacity and the weather is already starting to turn cold and wet. I had to deal with daily rains of Biblical proportions and found myself wishing I had warmer clothes. Most of the refugees we met had escaped with only the clothing on their backs, so I know they were hurting. Interviewing families in the camps was often difficult due to fatigue or cultural reasons – but I’m accustomed to dealing with challenges like these and usually found a way to establish a rapport. I think people can sense when you are being genuine about helping and not being exploitative. Many stories were hard to hear. No one should have to go through what many of these families have had to endure or witness.

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/the-stories-that-are-hardest-to-hear/feed/0Shipping Updates, a Photo, 4 Videos and More Weight Configshttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/shipping-updates-a-photo-4-videos-and-more-weight-configs/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/shipping-updates-a-photo-4-videos-and-more-weight-configs/#commentsWed, 15 Oct 2014 16:05:07 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=7803Continue reading →]]>For those of you who have yet to receive your Morpheus Stabilizer, I wanted to let you know that we’re expecting another 300 Morpheus units early next week. If that shipment arrives on time, we’ll have those units all packed up and shipped out by the end of next week

I’ve been busy updating the cinevate.com/flymorpheus page with various materials. As I mentioned in the previous update, all the instructional videos are now available on the page. I’ve also gone ahead and included them at the bottom of this post.

We just got our hands on an iPhone 6 Plus, and of course balanced it on Morpheus and added the weight configuration to the Morpheus Stabilizer Weight Guide. We’ll be sharing footage from the iPhone 6 Plus on Morpheus next week.

During a Skype call between Dennis and Kickstarter backer, Kempton Lam, Dennis and Kempton configured Kempton’s Samsung Galaxy Nexus I9250 to work on Morpheus. A special thank you to Kempton for taking the time to chat with us. We really appreciate all the constructive feedback you’ve provided us Kempton I’ve also added the Samsung Galaxy Nexus weight config to the Morpheus Stabilizer Weight Guide.

As a cinematographer it’s important to design a visual approach and aesthetic well before pressing the record button on set. After all, film is a visual medium and how you ‘show’ the story on screen has tremendous impact on the audience. Strong choices concerning camera angles, movement, focal length, lighting, composition, blocking make all the difference between pretty pictures and great visual storytelling.

I recently wrapped on a short film Garsc Ziemi (A Handful of Soil) which I both directed and shot. Garsc Ziemi is the story of a young Polish immigrant living in Canada whose father passes away during a work accident. Shortly after, the young man is compelled to visit his homeland after many years abroad and he discovers the reasons for his family’s emigration and the harsh political realities that stifled Poland during the late 70’s and early 80’s.

My approach to the cinematography was for the most part to keep it as documentary ­like as possible. This meant shooting on location, with a handheld camera and allowing the actor to move about freely. I used available light when possible or tried to augment existing light when needed. The kinetic quality of the handheld camera gave the story a sense of urgency and immediacy. The camera package included two cameras ­ the primary camera was a Red Scarlet configured with a Manfrotto Sympla Handheld Rig and the secondary camera was a BMPCC which worked brilliantly as a nonchalant alternative when filming in airplanes and airports.

I decided early on that I wanted a visual contrast between a couple key scenes in the film ­namely the scenes between our main character and his father. One scene plays out at a cemetery and the other at the edge of a river in Poland. I decided to abandon the handheld approach during these two scenes and reached instead for a tripod. After five days of shouldering the fully rigged Scarlet the change in shooting style was also met with great physical relief.

Piotr with the Hedron Slider and Fly-Wheel

Planting the camera on a set of sticks was a starting point but I wanted to add some subtle camera movement to the scenes. To achieve this I used a Hedron Slider. It was important for me to execute a slow and smooth slider shot without any hiccups and to bring the move to a nice even stop. Thankfully, the Hedron was rigged up with the Flywheel configuration which allowed me to gracefully glide the 30lb Scarlet Rig / Sachler Head along the 3ft track.

Here’s a clip from the production showing a variety of camera movements and styles, including a tracking shot from the Hedron Slider with Fly-Wheel…

The result of highlighting these two key scenes of the film with a distinct cinematographic approach changes the visual rhythm and allows the audience to focus their attention on a critical part of the story. The viewer may not consciously perceive the change but will no doubt feel it emotionally.

In the coming weeks we’ll be sharing a story about the short film Garsc Ziemi, which is the passion project (7+ years in the making) from Imaginarium Studios. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime we’ll share this testimonial from long time friend of Cinevate, Director and Partner in Imaginarium Studios, Piotr Skowronski. Piotr recently used the Hedron Slider extensively on Garsc Ziemi, and you can see a sample of the footage in the clip below.

Although Piotr is a friend of Cinevate, that doesn’t stop him from being obsessively demanding and critical of the gear he uses – even when it’s ours. When I read the following from Piotr, I knew we had a winner with the Hedron Slider.

Filmmakers know that the right camera move, well designed and executed not only raises production value but helps tell the story. Working on my latest short film entitled Garsc Ziemi (A Handful of Soil) I needed to get a few precise slider shots that were key to the visual storytelling of the film.

Using the new Cinevate Hedron with the Flywheel configuration I was able to pull off the shots I needed with minimal effort. I was very impressed with how easy the flywheel made it possible to execute a slow, smooth and precise move every time.

One key scene where the Hedron came into play was at the river location in which a father and son have an important conversation. I wanted to open the scene with a slow camera move to establish the location and then bring the camera to a nice, steady stop before cutting in for the closeups. The retakes we did were for performance, not for technical mistakes. I’ve used many sliders over the years and the Cinevate Hedron is by far my favorite. Incredibly well built, it can support a lot of height yet is light enough that its easy to transport and deploy in the field. I very impressed with this piece of kit and the cinematic production value it allows me to capture.

Piotr Skowronski
Director / Cinematographer: Imaginarium Studio Inc.

]]>http://www.cinevate.com/blog/testify-a-hedron-slider-testimonial/feed/1Gear Love and Crowdfunding Advice for Your Indie Filmhttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/gear-love-and-crowdfunding-advice-for-your-indie-film/
http://www.cinevate.com/blog/gear-love-and-crowdfunding-advice-for-your-indie-film/#commentsThu, 11 Sep 2014 18:23:59 +0000Cinevatehttp://www.cinevate.com/blog/?p=7636Continue reading →]]>Back in June we published a post about a short film called The Maltese Guinea Pig. At the time, Writer and Director, Luke Grandmont, was raising funds via his Indiegogo campaign.

It should be noted that Luke used to work at Cinevate, until he decided to pursue his passion for making films on a full time basis. We miss Luke very much and decided that to show our support for his project, we’d lend him some Cinevate gear to use on the production.

After a 45 day campaign Luke was successful in funding the project and has since finished production. He sent us an update on the project as well as shared some insight into indie filmmaking.

Here’s what Luke had to say…

This summer has been a whirlwind. I thought that leaving 2 weeks of time between the end of my fundraiser and the start of production would be ample time. It wasn’t. Do not underestimate the amount of time you’ll invest in your crowdfunding campaign – between that and all of the pre-production on the film I was lucky to get my laundry done. Anyway, everything went well and we got the funds necessary to make the film, but even then our budget was still extremely tight. Luckily, I had a bit of help from my old chums at Cinevate. The majority of equipment we used was either owned by crew members or borrowed.

One of the big items we used was the new Hedron Slider. I wanted to do longer dolly-like moves so we opted for a 5 foot unit to get the longest range possible. The film features an almost entire child cast so we planned for shorter days. During our biggest day, the classroom scene, we had to save as much time as possible as the 17 extras would become increasingly difficult to wrangle. While I originally pictured a long dolly in the scene, we just didn’t have the time to lay track and level it. Luckily, the Hedron slider was setup in seconds and gave us more than enough travel for what I wanted to achieve.

We also used the unit for a few other shots, including a tracking shot along a fence post with tin cans in the foreground, eventually revealing the protagonist just moments before he releases a rock from his sling shot. We improvised for this setup with a picnic table for ease of height, although we could have easily pulled off the shot with the support of a few tripods or stands on either side of the slider. The Hedron’s Fly-Wheel also helped out, providing a smooth, consistent slide, making the operator’s job a breeze.

Since we’re on the topic of gear, another cool piece we used was the Scrim Jim from Westcott. Having shot an all-exterior film last Summer without one, I knew that we would need some diffusion or light control for the exterior scenes on this. It’s a simple setup and the material of your choice fastens with velco for easy setup and tear down.

I actually had hoped to use the Axis Jib for a few more shots than we did. The one shot we cut was when we had 34 kids (age 8-12) in the playground scene, so we ended up minimizing the camera movement for that sequence for simplicity’s sake. Where I was able to incorporate the jib movement was important to me as it had some emotional backing to it with one of the characters. We filmed on the BlackMagic Pocket camera so we were well under the unit’s maximum capacity and it worked like a charm.

If you read my blog post from last year (where I was DP on a short called The Wolf and The Ballerina) then you know how much I love the Dromos Hi Hat. It’s a simple but effective tool for getting into places or heights you just can’t without a hi hat. We had a couple low shots for this which Dromos was required for, including the last shot of the film (although, I didn’t share that in the BTS video, you’ll just have to wait for the finished film

As mentioned, Nick was using the BlackMagic Pocket Cinema to film (we ended up with a 2nd unit for most of the shoot as well). Nick opted for the Atomos Ninja Blade for monitoring and external recording. He also had some nifty configurations for bringing in external audio to save sound syncing in post as well as an external power source for battery hot-swapping. You can check out his setup and explanation at 4:20 in the video.

The film is currently in post-production. At the time of this post we’ve just completed a rough cut. I’m hoping to premiere the film in the Fall and then submit to film festivals. As with my previous film, The Last Straw, I’ll do the film festival circuit prior to releasing online. You can follow the project on its Facebook page.

A zoom lens is incredibly practical when you are framing up a shot. It gives you a tremendous amount of flexibility to capture a variety of focal lengths from a fixed position. But how often have you actually seen a zoom in/out motion used in a big-budget film?

Something about the mechanical nature of the movement harkens back to the power zooms of the 70s and 80s. In essence it is an attention-drawing optical trick that the human eye could never replicate on its own. Consequently you’d be hard pressed to find a zoom move in current cinema, aside from a documentary or perhaps a Tarantino flick.

In place of using zoom lenses, directors in Hollywood opt to use a dolly, sled, or a slider.

In this “Camera Movement” tutorial, our friend Eduardo Angel worked with a Pegasus slider to demonstrate how sliding in and out can dramatically alter the emotional charge of a scene.

One of the many advantages of the Pegasus is that it can be flipped to easily achieve overhead shots. It also works wonderfully as a table dolly to capture curved shots.

The good folks over at Canon Watch have recently posted an article about the 5D Mark IV possibly featuring 4K video. I find the prospect of this intriguing, however, I remain skeptical until more information is officially announced by Canon – more information like price and release date.

According to the article, we shouldn’t be expecting this anytime soon. If this rumour turns out to be true, it is likely that it will be quite some time before this becomes a reality.

Currently Canon is featuring 4k on the EOS-1D C. It would be a more than welcome move if the 5D Mark IV would deliver 4k! Canon added HD recording to the EOS 5D Mark II, let’s hope the EOS 5D Mark IV will make the next step. Just to remind: full HD has a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 4K has a resolution of 4096 x 2160.

Our friend Alan Auld, of Imagine Photo Cinema, recently produced this video critiquing his Hedron Slider. Have a watch to find out what Alan liked, and didn’t like, about the slider. You can also watch the video, and read Alan’s description, on his original post.